


A Tragedy in Three Acts

by TheLilyoftheValley



Series: Commissions [1]
Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: Al will never let Mina live it down, Angst, Commission for wherearetherobots, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, OC and Canon Character friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27583375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLilyoftheValley/pseuds/TheLilyoftheValley
Summary: Kofi Com for wherearetherobots. In which Mina goes through the "Ace Hardlight is not that great of a guy" character arc during her time in Dreadzone.
Relationships: Big Al & Mina
Series: Commissions [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2016274
Kudos: 3





	1. Part 1: Ace Hardlight is Hot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Mina belongs to wherearetherobots of FFnet and Instagram.
> 
> I absolutely had to make this running joke between us into a fic.

A Tragedy in Three Acts

Part 1: Ace Hardlight is Hot

“Okay, Al, come on. You gotta admit, like… he’s a little hot.”

A splashing sound came from Big Al’s workbench as his coffee shot up his nose. The engineer spluttered, his hand yanking the mug away from his face before any more damage could be done. After the mug was off to the side, his arm stretched out full length away from his body, eyes blinked rapidly before looking over to the Markazian’s workbench.

“I…” Al blinked a few more times, utter shock amplifying the flutter of his eyelids. “I beg your pardon?”

Mina nodded her head towards the holo-vision screen in the Dreadzone Engineers’ Station. Her right hand, fingers tight around the Vox Industries coffee mug she had been given by the guards, gestured to the screen after another beat of confused silence from Big Al. “Al, seriously, like… Ace Hardlight?” She tucked her other hand, her free one, under her chin. “Come on. He’s a complete dreamboat.”

Al’s brow furrowed. His lips pushed into his mouth and hooked under his teeth as he stared at his assistant. “Mina,” he started. “You… you are aware this Ace Hardlight is the one trying to get us and Ratchet killed, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m not as oblivious as Qwark is.” Her free hand stopped waving dismissively at the other engineer. As she settled back in her chair, nothing more than a glorified bar stool provided by Vox, she jerked her hand up. “Alright listen. He’s got the hair…” a finger curled into her palm “…abs…” another finger curled into her palm.

Her face froze, her hand swinging back and forth. A huff left Al as Mina scrunched her face before moving it back to her original overconfident expression. “He’s got that… _aura_ …” she said, her voice trailing off into silence.

Palm hit forehead as Al heaved a long and heavy sigh. He dragged his hand down his face, pulling at his eyes as they looked up to the ceiling for answers. Once his hand fell, he spoke. “I don’t know if I mentioned this to you before, but. Ace. Hardlight. Is. Trying. To. Kill-“

“Allllllll!” Mina rolled her eyes, slouching over in her chair. Her head shook as she looked off to the right of her before her entire posture changed back to something more argumentative. “Okay, fine, let’s say, like, this guy’s trying to kill us.”

“Which he is.”

“What if I flirted my way close to him and bought us escape that way?” Mina made an L with her thumb and index finger on her free hand and waggled it at Al. “That’s solid logic, right?”

Al crossed his arms over his chest after he plopped his coffee mug onto his separate workbench parallel from Mina’s. “There’s another reason you would want to flirt your way to Ace, and I know you’re not that altruistic.” One of his brows lifted higher than the other. “Cough it up.”

“Al…”

“It’s because he’s a rich gladiator, isn’t it?”

“What? _Nooooooooooo_ …”

“If that’s not the real reason, then why aren’t you meeting my eyes?”

“I just like… guys with… good… chests…”

“You just want his credit card!”

As their argument heightened, Mina’s voice pitching higher and higher per each point she lost in her side of the argument, Ratchet shuffled at the entrance to the work station.

“Hey, Clank?” he asked over his comm. “How good are you at fixing armor? Al’s a bit busy at the moment trying to convince Mina to not do her Bad Decision of the Hour.”

A mimicked sigh echoed in the Lombax’s ear as Al threw his arms into the air in frustration and Mina got up to grab a whiteboard she could write on to show her plan. “I shall see what I can do,” the little robot said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part will be up in just a second! :) Thank you for reading this first part! Song Inspo for all the drabbles will be at the end!
> 
> XD


	2. Part 2: Ace Hardlight is a Bastard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Mina is owned by wherearetherobots of FFnet and Instagram.
> 
> Man, Mina, I can't believe I have to show you how terrible your taste in men is… *shakes head*

A Tragedy in Three Acts

Part 2: Ace Hardlight is a Bastard

"Hey Al, I got here as quick as I could!"

Ratchet's breathless voice echoed in Mina's ear as she studied the front part of the Dreadzone collar around Clank's neck. Her concentration stuttered, but Al beat her to the punch.

"Silence!" Al cried, turning his attention away from Clank and onto Ratchet. "Can't you see we're trying to concentrate?!"

"We're tryin' to see if we can crack open Clank's collar with the schematics he got," Mina filled in, waving her right hand at the Lombax. "Al, everything looks good right here, so whenever you're ready…"

"Clank, are you sure this is safe?"

The little robot turned his head, careful not to accidentally smack Mina's face with his right hand. "It is an acceptable risk," he said. A tiny shrug came from him as he bobbed his shoulders. "I am more than willing to be a test subject in order to experiment if we can escape."

A strong shush came from Al as he leaned over Clank's neck. "I just need to close one more circuit… Mina, get ready…"

With a simple push of the engineer's fingers, the collar around Clank's neck unlocked and clicked open, finally freeing the robot from the threat of decapitation.

A happy cheer rose from the Markazian as she shot up from her crouched position, her fists pumping in the air. "Hell yeah! We did it!"

An enormous grin stretched over Ratchet's face as he laughed with shock and relief. "Al, Mina, you guys are geniuses!"

The main owner of the Robo Shack chuckled and tucked a hand behind his head. "I know…" he drawled, a bashful blush touching his cheeks.

"Ha!" Mina leaned over and punched Ratchet's arm playfully. "'Course we did it! That's what you get when you're with the Robo Shack crew. Now…" She made to push Ratchet out of the way and try to get around the other side of the table as Al lifted the open collar from Clank's neck. "It's my turn to get this collar off! Move your fluffy butt, Lombax boy!"

Just as Mina got to the side of the small workbench, no more than a foot away from Al, the world fell into slow motion.

The blaster shot bloomed against Al's back, and his eyes and mouth popped open in shock. Mina felt her face match something close to his expression before Al hit the cold, metal floor. His arms splayed out at awkward angles from his body, and his trademark lab coat burned around the hole near his right shoulder.

He didn't move.

Mina moved her head in a motion that dragged on for what felt like an eternity, gazing right towards where the blaster shot came from. As Ratchet's shocked "NOOO!" rang in her head, Mina looked straight at a grinning Ace Hardlight stalking towards the group.

Cruel laughter echoed from the gladiator's mouth as he cocked the blaster back. "Looks like somebody broke the rules…" he said, a sneer marring his face.

It only took a split second for the shock to fade before white-hot, burning rage filled the female Markazian.

Mina lunged as fast as she could at Ace, tears forming in her eyes as she charged at her friend's murderer. _**"OH, I'LL SHOW YOU BREAKING THE RULES, YOU NO-GOOD PIECE OF-"**_

Ace's hand latched tight around her throat as he lifted her off the ground. In a swing that Mina couldn't avoid, the butt of the blaster slammed against her as the remote pressing against her throat triggered the electricity in the collar.

Her head throbbed with pain and the rest of her body lit up with agony as thousands of volts shot through her form. The electricity cut right through her synthetic skin and dug right into the robotic form underneath, and as a high-pitched scream reverberated around the room, Mina felt pain overwhelm her conscious mind.

Her world flipped, and suddenly the floor rose up to meet her face and chest. The sting of the electricity was gone, but Mina's mind could barely comprehend the absence of the shock. Eyes rolled as the back of her head fell to her left.

Wisps of conversation and the sight of Al's still body, his face fallen and peaceful, faded fast as darkness swallowed Mina's consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2's alternate title: 'Big Al F**king Dies'
> 
> Onto the last part! Thank you all for reading! :)
> 
> XD


	3. Part 3: Ace Hardlight Proves Big Al Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Ratchet and Clank or any of its characters. Mina belings to wherearetherobots of FFnet and Instagram. The tone switches in this part are going to be a lil all over the place, so a forewarning beforehand.

A Tragedy in Three Acts

Part 3: Ace Hardlight Proves Big Al Right

The day after Al was shot was one of the longest days in Mina's life.

Guilt weighed down her heart, and every so often, she'd have to leave the engineer's station to hang out with Clank. Any repairs Ratchet needed were done to the best of her ability, but Al's missing presence stalled her progress more than a few times. The urge to cry followed her around everywhere, and the ringing of the ambulance echoed in her mind every so often.

If she could go back in time and do anything to save Al before he got shot, she would have taken the chance in a heartbeat.

Later in the evening, as Ratchet and Clank were focused on finishing another campaign, Mina played with the tools absentmindedly on her workbench. Fingers spun the multipurpose screwdriver under her palm. The quiet of the evening filled the engineers' station with unnerving silence.

A sigh left her mouth as she straightened from her hunched-over position, and her hands pressed against her face. She dragged her hands down her pale cheeks, flopping her hands to her lap. "Al, I'm so sorry…" she murmured, another sigh leaving her as the guilt pulled at her chest.

"Uh… Engineer to Ratchet?"

Mina perked up, looking toward the entrance of the workstation. A small robot with a singular eye and a wheel for feet looked at her curiously. He waved his clipboard. "The other engineer that was in an accident is about to be wheeled in. We in the right place?"

Mina shot off her seat and moved toward the robot. "YES! THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE!" she shouted, her head already craning around the robot as she jogged to the entrance. "Where is he?"

"Patience!" the little robot cried, and a small pang of pain bobbed in the wave of happiness as the little reminder of Al echoed in her brain. "We're just starting to unload him now, so it'll take a moment-"

Wheels squeaked against the floor as a white hospital bed came into view.

Al looked… different. The right side of his body from the waist up was replaced with robotic parts, and instead of an attachable microscope for his head, a blue optic whirred and clicked as it settled on Mina. Half of Al's head was gone, replace with shiny metal that reminded Mina too much of Clank.

But he was alive at the very least. And… frowning… scowling…

The robot attendant mimicked a sigh as he turned to the other robot wheeling the bed. "Come on, Jerry! What part of 'wait in the truck while I check the place' didn't you get?!"

Both robots wheeled off, arguing as they headed back to the ambulance.

Which left Mina and Al. Alone.

Mina threw herself on Al, wrapping her arms tight around his neck. "Ohmygod ohmygod, Al, you're okay!"

As she hugged him tight, her forehead shoved right against the unaffected side of his head, Al stayed quiet.

Mina leaned back, chuckling nervously as she tried to ignore the deepening scowl on her employer's face. "Soooo…" she drawled. A tongue darted out between her lips. "You're… also, like, part robot too now, huh?"

Al's glare deepened even further.

Mina's left hand moved, and her fist bumped the new robotic arm. "Twinsies?" she offered, her smile straining with each passing moment.

The other engineer stayed deathly quiet.

"Um…" Mina swallowed, moving her arm back to tug at her Dreadzone collar. "Al?"

Then came the sass.

"' _Oh, come on Al!'"_ Al mimicked in a terrible, high-pitched imitation of her voice. _"'You gotta admit, Ace Hardlight is kinda hot!'"_

Her jaw dropped. "You… you got shot, and the first thing you say to me after you get back is a quote of my own words?!"

Big Al centered his glare full on her as he uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off the hospital bed. As his legs hooked over the side, he ranted on. "Was I right, or was I right?"

"You were right, you were right," Mina sighed, groaning as she slapped her hands over her face.

" _What if I_ _ **flirted**_ _my way into his good graces and bought us escape that way?! I really only want to do it because I want his money, but maybe I'll remember that we're prisoners!"_

"ALLL!"

The owner of the Robo Shack shook his head as he steadied himself back on his feet. "This is what you get after lusting after that guy I told you would try to kill us. And don't think I'm not going to bring the whiteboard plan into this!"

An even louder groan left Mina as she dragged her fingers down her face. "You're not going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Nope," Al said, crossing his arms again. He looked the spitting model of a disappointed dad. "This is what you get for not listening to my advice."

A small smile grew on Mina's face as she looked to her friend. Of course, Al was the guy that got shot and lived only to come back and rub her bad ideas in her face.

Someone had to do it with her track record of absolutely terrible ideas.

Mina rolled her eyes. "Maybe the guys from the hospital haven't left yet. Maybe I could just call them to chuck you back in there."

"And leave you to do all the work? Absolutely not."

"Glad to have you back alive and well, Al," she chuckled.

Al softened, shaking his head as he matched her laugh. "I'm fine, and it'll take some time to get used to the new arm, but I'll be back to my normal self in no time." He straightened, looking to their separate workbenches. "Now, back to work…"

"You sure you aren't just your normal self already?"

"Well, maybe I am, so in that case…"

"AL, COME ON, LET IT GO! I DON'T THINK THAT BASTARD'S HOT ANYMORE!"

"You shouldn't have been thinking the guy holding us prisoner was hot in the first place!"

As their arguing reached the usual level, smiles decorated both their faces as they dug into each other, insults and ribbings in between each bit of work and clean-up the two did. The guilt from earlier faded from Mina's chest, and as she snarked back at her boss, she felt far better now that his usual presence was back in the workstation.

Even if he was never going to let her live it down, she was more than happy to have him back.

And honestly, how could she have thought _that_ bastard was hot?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Inspo for all drabbles: "Two Ways" by Trey Songz.
> 
> I'm unsure about the tone shifts (there's a ton for three drabbles), but I hope I did a decent job at writing these all out. Al's the type of guy that likes Mina as a good friend, but my lord, if she has a bad idea, he'll never let her live it down. He's a massive voice of reason to her in the earlier parts of her life, and when Marin commed me on Kofi, I knew I had to do these.
> 
> Thank you for comm-ing me, Marin! I hope you enjoyed, and I hope that everyone else enjoyed as well! Mina's a fun character to write, and goodness, her string of terrible decisions doesn't end here. If you want to read more, check out "Minerva: Wandering Mercenary" on FFnet by wherearetherobots!
> 
> For now, thank you all for reading! :D


End file.
